I loaded the pictures in reverse order...Start from the bottom and work your way up

Sorry about the long delay but Caden Church Spencer has arrived at 6:35 am on June 5th, 2008. He weighed in at 6 lbs 10 oz with a length of 20.25 inches. After coming to the hospital at 10:30 pm last night, we were in labor for twelve hours of all Natural child birth. Kristen was a champion. She went through last night with great confidence and courage and is rewarded with a very healthy baby boy. He ate as soon as he came into this world and has been sleeping ever since. Thanks for all your thoughts and prays during this time in our lives. Now onto the photos…

IN LABOR!!

So, I guess my body was getting ready after all! My water began to break around 6:15 tonight, and I'm having contractions (not bad ones) about 9 min. apart. So, in the next 24 hours, there will be a new Spencer!!! Adam will be updating you from the hospital, but pray for a fast and smooth delivery! yaaaay!!!

NOT in labor

So, last night I woke up with some pretty bad cramps and spent the night and most of this morning/afternoon either hugging the toilet or on it. I was kind of okay with it cause I thought ALRIGHT...something's happening here! I was sure my body was getting ready to bring this baby into the light of day. My Dr. is out of town, so Dr. Mendez decided to squeeze me in and check me out. After checking me (I mean...do they stick their whole fist up there!), he exclaimed that my cervix was "SHUT TIGHT" and held up his pinkie finger to demonstrate just how shut it was. So....possibly I just have a stomach bug. I'll keep you posted if anything changes!

Twins, Handguns, Pictures, and Pitting Edema...what more could you ask for

So, this is a totally random mixture of stuff. The first thing I want to mention is a big CONGRATS!!! to my cousin Jenny and her husband Jeff!! They're expecting twins in November, and we're soooo excited for them!!

Now, I know the picture below may be disturbing to some of you. I promise the guns are not loaded, and notice how they're pointed down at the bad guys instead of at you. :) Adam has been wanting to take a Concealed Handgun License course for quite a while, so I decided that might be something we could do together......a little over 10 hours of togetherness to be exact! So, a couple of Saturdays ago, we headed up to the Bass Pro where the class began and finished the gun proficiency portion of the class. Adam is a bit of a better shot than I am.

The rest of the class was at the Golden Corral, and it was all about the legal aspects of having a concealed handgun and using one. Neither Adam or I plan to actually carry a handgun. We just wanted to be informed since we have them here at the apartment.

We'd been wanting to get some pictures of us while I was pregnant, so we took our trusty tripod down the road and ran back and forth. The sun was a bit bright even at 8:00, but we figured we'd better start before it got too late! I LOVE them! It was kind of hard to put my hands under my belly without it looking like I had to pee. He's just sitting so low!





Here are some pictures of Adam and I when we were born or shortly thereafter. With only 11 days left till my due date, we like to speculate about what our little guy will look like! This one is Adam at 5 days old.

I love this picture of Adam, but I'm not quite sure how old he was here.

This is me pretty soon after birth. Yes, those bags that I fight now were present from the very beginning. Thanks, mom and dad.This is me at 6 weeks.
And finally...kind of a bizarre picture. I was sitting on the couch cross legged last night, and when I unfolded my legs, I had a perfect of imprint of my left foot on my right shin. It looked so bizarre, I had to take a picture of it. My next Dr. appt is on Wednesday, so we'll see if I have anymore news to tell you! Until then, 11 days and counting!! or maybe more, I guess....;)

Nursery Pics and Dr. Appt.

So, I've finally gotten the nursery pretty much the way it's going to stay. I ended up taking back the bedding we had and got this at Target, and I LOVE it! It's just so happy with all the animals and brighter colors. With white apartment walls, we needed a little something.

I also had a Dr. appt today, and it looks like we might have a big baby. Dr. New estimated his weight at 6 lbs. 10 oz right now, and we've got 2 and 1/2 weeks left to go! He was 5 lbs. 2 weeks ago, so we'll see if the little guy continues to gain at the same pace. Adam says one way or another he's coming out, and I guess that's true enough! I'd just rather him come out without stretching me TOO much! :)

Aunt Doo Doo, Belly Shelf, and Retirement

A couple of weekends ago, I finally got to go and see Landry!!! She is just the cutest little thing, and I wish I could have spent more time with her. I was absolutely amazed at how well she slept....I mean, she slept through anything and everything! But she looked good doing it! :)
While Landry was sleeping, we spent a little time outside enjoying the weather. There was a big old snake out in the spillway, and we all watched as Clay wrangled it and transported it to a neighboring pond.

A cannot believe how big Avery is now. It seems like just a short while ago that she was Landry's size living next door! She did finally recognize me during this trip, and instead of Aunt Doodle, I have been dubbed Aunt Doo Doo. I could've seen that coming.
It was hard to get a good picture in the dark, but I think Mo has mastered the art of simple entertainment. Avery LOVES playing with her shadow, and Mo makes some mean finger puppets on the wall. I have decided to forgo TV trays right now for my belly. I mean, it's just the perfect shelf, and since it normally catches everything that I drip or drop anyway, why not let it serve a useful purpose!


My school team decided to organize a student shower, and it was SO nice and the cutest thing ever. We all met at the end of our hall this past Monday morning, and they ate cake and watched me open presents. I work with some great people!



Now, those of you who know me very well will recognize this gesture. I think I have a picture like this from EVERY shower, EVERY public speech, EVERY event that requires the attention to be on me. This is what is known as the finger swipe, and it serves to wipe the sweat that ALWAYS pops out on my upper lip. Not fun, but I'm beginning to expect and accept it. Ha!

And now to explain that third word in this blog's title. I have officially retired from teaching. My blood pressure had gone up a bit, and Dr. New decided it might be best to keep me off of my feet for the rest of the year. Who am I to question his highly intelligent diagnosis? So....I'm loving life today and working on the nursery. Only about a month to go!!!